﻿548 
  REPORT 
  UNITED 
  STATES 
  GEOLOGICAL 
  SURVEY. 
  

  

  northwestern 
  buffalo 
  ranges 
  are 
  as 
  follow: 
  The 
  bands 
  belonging 
  to 
  

   the 
  Ked 
  E.iver 
  Eange 
  winter 
  on 
  the 
  Little 
  Souris, 
  and 
  southeasterly 
  

   toward 
  and 
  beyond 
  Devil's 
  Lake, 
  aud 
  thence 
  on 
  to 
  Eed 
  Eiver 
  and 
  the 
  

   Shayenne. 
  Here, 
  too, 
  they 
  are 
  found 
  in 
  the 
  spring. 
  Their 
  course 
  then 
  

   lies 
  west 
  towards 
  the 
  Grand 
  Coteau 
  de 
  Missouri 
  until 
  the 
  mouth 
  of 
  

   June, 
  when 
  they 
  turn 
  north, 
  and 
  revisit 
  the 
  Little 
  iSouris 
  from 
  the 
  west, 
  

   winding 
  round 
  the 
  flank 
  of 
  Turtle 
  Mountain 
  to 
  Devil's 
  Lake, 
  and 
  by 
  

   the 
  main 
  river 
  (Eed 
  Eiver), 
  to 
  the 
  Shayenne 
  again. 
  In 
  the 
  memory 
  of 
  

   many 
  Eed 
  Eiver 
  hunters 
  the 
  buffalo 
  were 
  accustomed 
  to 
  visit 
  the 
  prai- 
  

   ries 
  of 
  the 
  Assinniboine 
  as 
  far 
  as 
  Lake 
  Manitobah, 
  where 
  in 
  fact 
  their 
  

   skulls 
  and 
  bones 
  are 
  now 
  to 
  be 
  seen 
  ; 
  their 
  skulls 
  are 
  also 
  seen 
  on 
  the 
  

   east 
  side 
  of 
  the 
  Eed 
  Eiver 
  of 
  the 
  North, 
  in 
  Minnesota, 
  but 
  the 
  living 
  

   animal 
  is 
  very 
  rarely 
  to 
  be 
  met 
  with. 
  A 
  few 
  years 
  ago 
  they 
  were 
  accus- 
  

   tomed 
  to 
  pass 
  on 
  the 
  east 
  side 
  of 
  Turtle 
  Mountain, 
  through 
  the 
  Blue 
  

   Hills 
  of 
  the 
  Souris, 
  but 
  of 
  late 
  years 
  their 
  wanderings 
  in 
  this 
  direction 
  

   have 
  ceased 
  ; 
  experience 
  teaching 
  them 
  that 
  their 
  enemies, 
  the 
  half- 
  

   breeds, 
  have 
  approached 
  too 
  near 
  their 
  haunts 
  in 
  that 
  direction. 
  

  

  " 
  The 
  country 
  about 
  the 
  west 
  side 
  of 
  Turtle 
  Mountain, 
  in 
  June, 
  1858, 
  

   was 
  scored 
  with 
  their 
  tracks 
  at 
  one 
  of 
  the 
  crossing 
  places 
  on 
  the 
  Little 
  

   Souris, 
  as 
  if 
  deep 
  parallel 
  ruts 
  had 
  been 
  artilicially 
  cut 
  down 
  the 
  hill- 
  

   sides. 
  These 
  ruts, 
  often 
  one 
  foot 
  deep 
  and 
  sixteen 
  inches 
  broad, 
  would 
  

   converge 
  from 
  the 
  prairie 
  for 
  many 
  miles 
  to 
  a 
  favorite 
  crossing 
  or 
  drink- 
  

   ing 
  place; 
  and 
  they 
  are 
  often 
  seen 
  in 
  regions 
  in 
  which 
  the 
  buffalo 
  is 
  no 
  

   longer 
  a 
  visitor. 
  

  

  " 
  The 
  great 
  western 
  herds 
  winter 
  between 
  the 
  south 
  and 
  north 
  

   branches 
  of 
  the 
  Saskatchewan, 
  south 
  of 
  the 
  Touchwood 
  Hills, 
  and 
  be- 
  

   yond 
  the 
  north 
  Saskatchewan 
  in 
  the 
  valley 
  of 
  the 
  Athabasca 
  ; 
  they 
  

   cross 
  the 
  South 
  Branch 
  in 
  June 
  aud 
  July, 
  visit 
  the 
  prairies 
  on 
  the 
  south 
  

   side 
  of 
  the 
  Touchwood 
  Hill 
  range, 
  and 
  cross 
  the 
  Qu'appelle 
  valley 
  any- 
  

   where 
  between 
  the 
  Elbow 
  of 
  the 
  South 
  Branch 
  and 
  a 
  few 
  miles 
  west 
  of 
  

   Port 
  Ellice, 
  on 
  the 
  Assinniboine. 
  They 
  then 
  strike 
  for 
  the 
  Grand 
  Coteau 
  

   de 
  Missouri, 
  and 
  their 
  eastern 
  flank 
  often 
  approaches 
  the 
  Eed 
  Eiver 
  

   herds 
  coming 
  north 
  from 
  the 
  Grand 
  Coteau. 
  They 
  then 
  proceed 
  across 
  

   the 
  Missouri 
  up 
  the 
  Yellow 
  Stone, 
  and 
  return 
  to 
  the 
  Saskatchewan 
  and 
  

   Athabaska 
  as 
  winter 
  approaches, 
  by 
  the 
  flanks 
  of 
  the 
  Eocky 
  Mount- 
  

   ains. 
  We 
  saw 
  many 
  small 
  herds, 
  belonging 
  to 
  the 
  western 
  bands, 
  

   cross 
  the 
  Qu'appelle 
  valley 
  and 
  proceed 
  in 
  single 
  file 
  towards 
  the 
  Grand 
  

   Coteau 
  de 
  Missouri 
  in 
  July, 
  1858. 
  The 
  eastern 
  bands, 
  which 
  we 
  had 
  ex- 
  

   pected 
  to 
  find 
  on 
  the 
  Little 
  Souris, 
  were 
  on 
  the 
  main 
  river 
  (Red 
  Eiver 
  

   is 
  so 
  termed 
  by 
  the 
  half-breeds 
  hunting 
  in 
  this 
  quarter). 
  They 
  had 
  pro- 
  

   ceeded 
  early 
  thither, 
  far 
  to 
  the 
  south 
  of 
  their 
  usual 
  track, 
  in 
  consequence 
  

   of 
  the 
  devastating 
  fires 
  which 
  swept 
  the 
  plains 
  from 
  the 
  Eocky 
  Mount- 
  

   ains 
  to 
  Eed 
  Eiver 
  in 
  the 
  autumn 
  of 
  1857. 
  We 
  met 
  bulls 
  all 
  moving 
  

   south, 
  when 
  approaching 
  Fort 
  Ellice 
  ; 
  they 
  had 
  come 
  from 
  their 
  winter 
  

   quarters 
  near 
  the 
  Touchwood 
  Hill 
  range. 
  As 
  a 
  general 
  rule 
  the 
  Sas- 
  

   katchewan 
  bands 
  of 
  buffalo 
  go 
  north 
  during 
  the 
  autumn 
  and 
  south 
  dur- 
  

   ing 
  the 
  summer. 
  The 
  Little 
  Souris 
  and 
  main 
  river 
  bands 
  go 
  north- 
  

   west 
  in 
  summer 
  and 
  southeast 
  in 
  autumn."* 
  Hind 
  also 
  states 
  that 
  the 
  

   buffaloes 
  still 
  frequented 
  the 
  eastern 
  flank 
  of 
  the 
  Eocky 
  Mountains, 
  t 
  

  

  The 
  Earl 
  of 
  Southesk, 
  in 
  his 
  recently 
  published 
  narrative 
  of 
  his 
  

   sporting 
  adventures 
  in 
  British 
  North 
  America 
  in 
  1859,1 
  makes 
  but 
  

  

  * 
  Hind 
  (H. 
  Y.), 
  N.irra.tive 
  of 
  the 
  Canatliau 
  Red 
  River 
  Expedition 
  of 
  1857, 
  and 
  of 
  tbe 
  

   Assinuiboiuo 
  and 
  Saskatchewan 
  Exploring 
  Expeditious 
  of 
  1858, 
  Vol. 
  II, 
  pp. 
  107-109 
  

   See 
  also 
  Vol. 
  I, 
  pp. 
  295, 
  306, 
  336, 
  342, 
  356. 
  

  

  Hbid,Vol. 
  II, 
  p. 
  106. 
  

  

  t 
  Saskatchewan 
  and 
  the 
  Rocky 
  Mountains, 
  1875. 
  

  

  